


In the Forest, Light and Free

by KalynaAnne



Category: 4'33" - John Cage (Song)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 02:15:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21829843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KalynaAnne/pseuds/KalynaAnne
Summary: Because sometimes it is important to escape the constant busyness of the world.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2019





	In the Forest, Light and Free

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gammarad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gammarad/gifts).



“Remind me why I agreed to this again?” She leaned against a tree, panting and looking up the trail to where her friend moved like they belonged in the forest.

They stopped and looked back with a smile. “Because you’ve been stressed and overworked and desperately needed to get out of the city.” They came back to her and offered her their water bottle. “Come on, we’re almost there.” 

She accepted the water and then followed, grumbling the whole way. A few minutes later her friend stopped and gestured her ahead, adding softly, “It’s just around this bend.”

She rolled her eyes but went ahead and froze, suddenly silent as she came around the curve of the path. Her friend stopped just behind her, their hand on her shoulder, as the two of them looked out over the valley. For a full thirty seconds the friends stood still in silence before she took a deep breath and whispered, “Wow.”

They stepped around her and over to a large rock where they settled down and looked back with an expression that very clearly said, “I told you it would be worth it.” She laughed and came to sit next to them. 

For what felt like forever they sat perfectly still and silent while she sat next to them fidgeting. Eventually she couldn’t take it and exclaimed, “How can you stand sitting so perfectly still and quiet for so long?!” 

They laughed and raised their wrist, showing her the stopwatch feature on their watch. “I wondered how long you would last - it was all of two minutes and twenty three seconds.” They gestured out over the vista and back to the forest behind them. “Listen.” 

She raised an eyebrow skeptically, but settled back down and closed her eyes. The warm sun on her face was a nice contrast to the slightly chilly spring wind. She could hear the wind rustling through the trees behind her, the sound constant but always shifting. A bird called out, a high pitched chirping sound, and a few moments later another answered with a slightly lower voice. She opened her eyes and looked out over the valley again, admiring the range of shades of green. More birds joined in with the first two, their song swelling even as her patience with sitting quietly waned. “Ok, I’ve listened. The birds are lovely. But how long am I supposed to listen? It’s been forever…” She trailed off and then concluded, “I’m not good at this.”

“It was just a minute and forty seconds this time.” They grinned unrepentantly and then sighed and continued with a trace of sadness, “You spend so much of your time constantly busy that you’ve forgotten how to just be.” Then, more cheerfully, “But while today is about escaping the busy and relaxing, that doesn’t have to mean sitting still and being quiet all the time.” They reached for their pack and pulled out another bottle of water, along with snacks and sandwich fixings. “For now let’s have lunch while we enjoy this gorgeous view. We can worry about what comes after that later."


End file.
